AB1718-PARE DISEASE AWARENESS, MANAGEMENT PERCEPTIONS AND CARE SATISFACTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: A PROSPECTIVE MULTI-CENTRE SURVEY FROM INDIA
Authors: H. Pathak, M. Goyal, P. Das, S. Santhanam, A. K. Khan, S. Malviya, A. Pandey, P. Patil, B. D. Pandey, P. D. Rath, N. Jain, S. Jain, A. Dua, A. Goel, D. Potikuri, V. Ravindran
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a disease with heterogenous manifestations, which affects personal and professional aspects of patients' lives. Perception of disease state in PsA affects patients significantly. However, studies examining PsA patients' outlook about their disease are scarce and there are no studies from India examining PsA patients' viewpoints about their disease. <h3>Objectives</h3> The main objective of this multi-centric multiple domain survey was to study the PsA patients' perspectives. <h3>Methods</h3> A survey questionnaire with items on PsA patients' demographics, knowledge, awareness and perception of disease, its treatment, physical therapy, quality of life and the care they received was designed. After internal and external validation, a pilot survey was conducted, and survey modified. The final survey was (with translations in local languages) administered by the participating 16 centres across India. <h3>Results</h3> There were 262 respondents with mean age of 45.14±12.89 years (56% male). Forty percent of the patients had first consultation more than a year after the onset of joint pain and in a majority their current diagnosis was made by a rheumatologist. Most of the patients had psoriasis (92%) and arthralgia (78%) for more than one year, however, only 60% respondents took a doctor's opinion for joint symptoms within one year. For two third of the patients', a rheumatologist made the diagnosis of PsA followed by a dermatologist (15%) and general physicians (8%). Over 83% of patients were consulting their rheumatologist once every three months or earlier and were fully compliant with the treatment. Busy schedules and cost of therapy were the most common reasons for non-adherence to therapy (Table 1). Eighty-eight patients (34%) were not fully satisfied with their current treatment. Twenty-one. % of the survey respondents were still unaware of the term PsA and 10% were unaware of their current diagnosis. Over two-third of patients had never seen a physiotherapist and listed lack of time, pain, and lethargy as the main barriers to exercising. PsA had affected social and employment status of about half of the survey patients. Fatigue, busy work schedule, not able to lift weights, not able to travel without pain were elucidated by patients as main reason for this effect. Most of the patients were satisfied with disease information provided by rheumatologist and dermatologists. Eighty five % patients in this survey reported not taking any form of complementary alternative medicine therapy. The unmet needs of patients identified in this survey were better provision of remote or online consultation, reduction in pill load, better patient education on disease and drugs and financial help for biological therapies. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This survey informs that although survey participants are satisfied with care given by rheumatologist and dermatologists, the disease is influencing their quality of life significantly by affecting socialization and occupation. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> NIL. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.